Ragnarok-ARC

by Patrick A. Vanner

  "Very well, Mr. Secretary," Admiral Greco said, letting his face fall back into a neutral mask. "I don't like Admiral Rachere. He is pompous, full of himself, and quite frankly an arrogant bastard. He doesn't have much, if any, tactical or strategic instinct. While he earned his flag at the end of the Dragon Wars, I believe that he got to his present rank by a series of commanders who like his kind, and by his cultivation of political connections. There have also been a few reports of occasional mood swings and odd behavioral patterns, but nothing that ever warranted investigation." He paused in his report. He knew that speaking of one of his subordinates in this manner was not befitting a senior officer, even if the secretary had asked, and he felt he should say something positive, if only to assuage his own conscience. "Still, the admiral does have some things going in his favor. He is a superb organizer and systems administrator. He is a very talented bureaucratic commander, and while in command of Folkvang station he has increased its efficiency by seven percent. Granted, that does not sound like much, but with the amount of traffic and supplies that go though the station on a daily basis, that is an impressive figure." He paused for a moment, wondering if there was anything else he could or should say.

  "I hear a 'but' lurking in there somewhere, Richard," Secretary Lipinski said.

  "Well, I was only going to add that while Admiral Rachere's record on-station is impressive as it stands, should the situation aboard ever change—meaning, being engaged in direct, active hostilities, or even in support of them—then I think that his nitpicking, anal attention to detail will be a hindrance, not an asset. Given the news of the destruction of Admiral Stevens' fleet, and the change it has on the scope of the war, that is something that needs to be kept in mind." Admiral Greco wondered, orders or no, if he should have been so candid. But after reading the reports on the current situation, he could not help it. Admiral Rachere's actions had been totally contrary to standard operating procedures and seemed to be almost vindictive in nature.

  "I see," Secretary Lipinski said and leaned back again, hands locked over his belly. "Very well, Admiral, let me hear the rest of it. From the beginning."

  Admiral Greco began his formal report, keeping his voice level and dispassionate. "At approximately zero nine twenty zulu this morning, the heavy cruiser USS Fenris translated in-system. All indications from sensor logs aboard Folkvang station pointed to massive damage to the Fenris. That, along with the Fenris' acceleration curve, led to the conclusion that the Fenris had been damaged in combat."

  "Acceleration curve?" said Secretary Lipinski questioningly.

  "Yes, sir. The Fenris had translated in-system at maximum military power." Admiral Greco's voice held an incredulous tone as he added, "In short sir, she hit the wall at a flat-out run." He watched Lipinski's reaction to this news, and was surprised to see that the secretary had it without so much as an eye twitch. But then again, the secretary had never been a military man himself, so he might not be aware of the ramifications of that last statement, and right now was not the time to enlighten him.

  "Upon receipt of this news, Admiral Rachere proceeded to order a courier boat to intercept the Fenris. Lieutenant Web's Courier 254 was the boat that drew the assignment. Leaving his XO, Admiral Reynolds, in command of the station, Admiral Rachere then proceeded to board 254 with a squad of MPs. I should at this time point out that Admiral Rachere ordered a courier boat to intercept with the Fenris, and only a courier boat. A relief ship was not dispatched. As a matter of fact, it was expressly denied." That got the secretary's attention. Admiral Greco had spent enough time working with the secretary to recognize the tightening around his eyes as not a good thing. He knew that it was only going to get worse, but like someone enthralled by a hovercar accident, Greco could not help getting a slight perverse satisfaction from the secretary's reactions.

  "While this was occurring, the Fenris herself was headed in-system, and from the report of the chief engineer, one Commander Denton, it was a miracle that the Fenris was still in one piece. A majority of their primary systems, and several of their secondary systems, were off-line or outright destroyed, including communications. They had no way to tell us what had happened. But reports from members of the command-deck crew, as well as Commander Denton, show that Captain McLaughlin was intent on getting external communications reestablished to contact High Command. Needless to say, casualties were extensive." Pausing for a moment to lick his lips, Admiral Greco continued at the secretary's nod.

  "Drawing from Lieutenant Web's report, during the entire flight of 254, it appeared that Admiral Rachere was very eager to get to Captain McLaughlin and did not seem to care at all for any damage the Fenris may have sustained. While, of course, it is not explicitly stated in his report, I believe that Lieutenant Web was under the impression that the admiral was harboring some sort of vendetta against the captain." Greco saw the secretary's eyes flick back and forth as he tried to place the players in the morbid play. He understood the secretary's momentary confusion. He had felt the same on first reading all the information amassed. When Lipinski's eyes stopped moving, Admiral Greco continued without prompting.

  "What occurred next seems to support Lieutenant Web's insinuation about the admiral. Upon boarding the Fenris, the admiral proceeded to order his MPs to arrest the marine guide stationed at the air lock." At that, the secretary interrupted. His nonmilitary background required that he have some things explained that a seasoned officer would consider common knowledge.

  "Guide?" asked Lipinski. "That seems odd. Certainly you wouldn't expect an honor guard given the circumstances, but wouldn't an admiral be expected to be at least familiar enough with a ship of the fleet to be able to find his own way around?"

  "Under normal circumstances, yes, sir, he would," Greco answered tolerantly. "However, please keep in mind that the Fenris had been in heavy combat and taken significant damage. Under those circumstances, the interior layout of a ship can and will be radically changed. A guide is often necessary to ensure that relief-ship personnel can reach their destinations as quickly as possible. Also, remember, Captain McLaughlin was not expecting the admiral, but a relief ship."

  "I see. Please continue."

  "As I said, sir, after his arrival, Admiral Rachere had the marine guide placed under arrest by his MPs and then proceeded to the command deck. Also, Lieutenant Web's report is very explicit in stating that the admiral taunted the marine before his arrest," Admiral Greco said, then cast his eyes down to his pad to make sure he had his facts correct. He satisfied himself as to the accuracy of his report and picked up where he had left off.

  "After detaining the marine, the admiral headed to the command deck with his MPs, leaving Lieutenant Web with his ship. I am now relying on the reports of the MPs, command-deck crew, Commander Denton, and Admiral Rachere. I have tried to take"—he paused trying to think of the right word—"an 'average,' if you will, of the reports in question, to try and get a feel for what really happened. I think my staff and I have come to a fairly accurate conclusion, though we will probably never really know. The command deck was smashed, and the surveillance systems were off-line."

  "Yes, I understand. I'm sure your staff has come to a close approximation of the actual occurrences," Secretary Lipinski said. Admiral Greco could see that the muscles of his jaw were bulging as he tried to keep his temper in check.

  "This is what we think happened, sir," Admiral Greco quickly continued. He referred to his pad one last time then locked eyes with the secretary. "Admiral Rachere entered the command deck and attempted to place Captain McLaughlin under arrest. Understandably, the captain was more than a bit confused. She apparently decided to go along with the admiral as long as she thought a relief ship was on the way. Upon Admiral Rachere's statement that not only was there not a relief ship enroute, but that he considered her and her crew to be traitors, she verbally assaulted the admiral and made a very great effort to physically assault him as well. The reports are split here as to the actual events. Admiral Rach
ere and his MPs seem to think that McLaughlin was trying to kill him, and the crew seems to think that their captain was merely trying to strike the admiral." Closing his eyes for a moment, Admiral Greco could picture the situation in his mind, and what his own reactions would be if he were in McLaughlin's position at that time and place. Not surprised by what he saw himself doing, he went on.

  "Putting her actual intents aside for the moment, the only reason she did not succeed in getting to the admiral was that members of her own crew restrained her. Commander Denton even admits to punching her, despite McLaughlin's injuries, which included severe scalp lacerations, one eye swollen shut, several burns, and two broken ribs." Both men twisted their faces in sympathetic pain at the list of Captain McLaughlin's injuries. "While the captain was restrained, the admiral once again tried to place her under arrest. Once again, the two groups of reports diverge significantly. The admiral's group seems to be under the impression that the captain and her crew threatened to shoot them where they stood—all of them. The crew's reports say that Captain McLaughlin reasoned with the admiral and traded herself for a relief ship."

  "I see. But that still does not tell me why the information about Admiral Stevens was delayed for so long." Lipinski's voice carried a hard edge, letting Greco know that he had best be coming to the end of his report, and that it had best contain the information he wanted.

  "It's actually quite simple, Mr. Secretary," Admiral Greco said. He was not being condescending or sarcastic, just stating fact. "When Captain McLaughlin surrendered to Admiral Rachere, he immediately withdrew from the Fenris. The relief ship that Captain McLaughlin had secured via her deal with the admiral was still several hours away, and the Fenris' communications were still down. And knowing Admiral Rachere as I do"—he raised his hands in a gesture of futility—"he probably kept Captain McLaughlin sequestered from any contact or did not allow her to speak. So you see, sir, even though the Fenris had been in-system for several hours, they had yet to be able to tell anyone what had happened. Only with the arrival of the relief ship was the information able to be passed on. And once I received it, I, of course, forwarded it to you. Also, knowing that you would be briefing the president immediately, I took that time to find out why this information was so late in coming, when the information provided showed that we should have had it hours sooner. Once I had a preliminary report, I reported here, and, well, Mr. Secretary, you know the rest."

  Secretary Lipinski abruptly stood up from his desk and began to pace behind it. After several passes of his chair, he stopped directly behind it and stared out the window. Admiral Greco could hear him softly speaking, repeating himself.

  "What the hell was that man thinking?" Finally he seemed to reach a decision as he stood even straighter and spun about. "Admiral Greco."

  "Yes, Mr. Secretary?"

  "Relieve Admiral Rachere for cause. Immediately," Lipinski snapped out.

  "I'm sorry, Mr. Secretary, but I cannot do that," Greco said, expecting that the secretary would not take his answer well. He was not disappointed.

  "Excuse me?" Lipinski said through clenched teeth. "You may be the CNO, but I am still the Secretary of War. You report to me. When I give you an order, you will God damn well obey it. Is that clear?" Admiral Greco understood quite well, but some orders could not be obeyed, despite the secretary's penchant for taking the professional head off of anyone who disobeyed his orders. And this was one such order that could not be obeyed.

  "I am quite aware of who you are, Mr. Secretary, and I am quite aware of who I am as well," Admiral Greco ground out in a harsh voice, the implied insult from the secretary coloring his response. As if he would ever forget his duty, or the chain of command. "As Chief of Naval Operations, it is my responsibility to know, understand, and enforce naval regulations. And knowing naval regulations as I do, I can tell you, Mr. Secretary, that you cannot relieve Admiral Rachere for cause."

  "And why not?" Lipinski demanded.

  "Because, sir, he has broken no regulations—no serious ones, anyway—and therefore there is no reason or cause for having him relieved."

  "Excuse me?" Lipinski said again. He seemed to deflate before the admiral's eyes.

  "Sir, believe me." Greco let his anger go. He knew that both of them were upset at the situation, not at each other. "There is nothing I would like more right now than to relieve that idiot, but legally I can't. As I said, he hasn't broken any regs that would allow for his relief."

  "How is that possible?" Lipinski's voice sounded incredulous.

  "Well, sir, it's complicated." Greco sighed and began to massage his temples. "Admiral Rachere is the commanding officer of Folkvang station. As such, any relief ship that is to be dispatched within the Sol system is at his discretion. Also, as Captain McLaughlin holds an independent command, when she returned to Sol alone, she was immediately placed within Folkvang's TO&E. Being an independent command only means that she gets orders to go out on her own, not part of a battle group or only peripherally associated with one, as she was with Admiral Stevens. She still needs to report to someone, so when she got home, she became part of Folkvang's chain of command." Greco sighed again, the situation weighing heavily on him. "So you see, sir, Admiral Rachere didn't do anything 'technically' wrong, or at least nothing that we can relieve him for. Oh, morally, ethically, and professionally he was wrong, and the rest of the fleet is going to know that. But legally, no one can touch him."

  "Are you telling me that there is no regulation regarding the dispatching of relief or support ships for damaged vessels? How in the hell is that possible?" Lipinski's agitation began to return.

  "To be frank, sir, we've never needed one before," Greco said, disheartedly.

  "And now?"

  "Now? Prior to my arrival here I sent a priority-one flash message to all ships and commands, clearly stating that any damaged ship should receive immediate and unconditional aid of the type commensurate with the level needed. I hated having to add that last part, but if I hadn't, people like Admiral Rachere would send out a single shuttle and say that they had rendered aid within the letter of the regulation. In fact, I hated having to issue the order at all, and I would have never thought I would need to. It disgusts me that it's needed."

  "Do you think that your order will be enough?"

  "I think it will be more than enough, as this is the first time I have ever even heard of a situation like this. However, I am not the kind of man to do things by halves. My office is preparing a formal regulation that I expect to be signed off on by the judge advocate tomorrow, and it should be in effect by the day after. This will not happen again, not without someone paying for it." Admiral Greco's voice was laced with venom.

  "I totally agree," Lipinski said, nodding his head. "What I want to know is how we can make someone pay for it now. Not only for what happened with the Fenris but for the withholding of vital information, unintentional or not. This whole situation is inexcusable, and it seems to me it's Admiral Rachere's fault. Nothing you've told me seems to justify his arrest of Captain McLaughlin—unless there was something more you needed to report?" Admiral Greco saw the secretary stare levelly at him, and he returned the stare just as intently.

  "No, sir, I have told you everything that I know, or that I can surmise," Greco answered quietly but clearly. Paging through the information on his pad one last time, he looked back up at the secretary. "I can find no reason for Admiral Rachere ordering Captain McLaughlin's arrest, let alone enforcing that order himself. Nothing other than a vague reference to her being a traitor, and, having examined her record, I find that accusation to be laughable."

  "Having met Captain McLaughlin and seen her record as well"—Lipinski nodded to Greco in support of his assessment—"I have to agree that the idea of Captain McLaughlin being a traitor is preposterous. But I can't help wondering why he would make that statement without first getting a formal charge issued."

  "I couldn't say, sir, but it is puzzling. And I agree with you—someone should
be punished. But who? And we don't have much time to figure it out. With Admiral Stevens' death and the destruction of his fleet, you can sure as hell bet the Sallys aren't going to just sit back and take a break. We need to clear this up fast, 'cause knowing the rumor mill, this will be all over the system by tomorrow night, and with someone like McLaughlin, who many consider a hero, and the commanding officer of something as strategically important as Folkvang station, well, we need to know what the problem is or was and get it corrected fast before everyone starts focusing on it and picking sides. We can ill afford to have the fleet split over this, and have them doubting High Command."

  "I agree, Admiral, but how do we proceed? As you said, some of your report is summarization, and some of it guesswork. How do you propose to find out what actually happened? There is also the concern about possible traitors and, of course, our primary responsibility—the defense of this system. A board of inquiry would be too long, and a court martial would take even longer. If the Sallys won't wait for long before acting on the advantage of Admiral Stevens' death, we don't have time for either. Yet even with their altercation not being the highest priority, we can't just sweep this under the rug."